A complaint has been made to gardaí about an alleged assault in the Four Courts on a defendant in a defamation case.
Violent scenes in the Four Courts on Wednesday required intervention of gardaí and security staff.
It was claimed the defendant in a defamation action was attacked and injured by a group of individuals attending court for an action brought by London-based Nigerian businesswoman Rosala Uvbi Mku-Atu.
She claims she had been defamed and threatened in social media posts by Ester Esabod Aboderin, of Easton Green, Leixlip, Co Kildare.
Shortly before the case was due to be heard by Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds on Wednesday, a violent fracas involving up to 20 individuals who had been in court when the case was called earlier broke out in the area just outside the Supreme Court.
Court staff sought assistance of gardaí who attended at the scene within minutes.
A garda on duty, supported by Court Service staff, escorted several individuals out of the Four Courts complex.
The individuals had earlier been in Court 3 of the Four Courts where the case was due to be mentioned.
They were asked to leave by Ms Justice Reynolds after some of them became loud and agitated.
When the case was called on, Rory Kennedy, for Ms Aboderin, told the judge his client had been “seriously assaulted” by unknown parties and had suffered injuries including “cuts and bruises” to her face and body in the incident.
A complaint has been made to the Garda Síochána about the assault, counsel said.
Patrick O’Brien, for Ms Uvbi Mku-Atu, who was not in court, said his client had “no knowledge” about the people who were involved in the incident outside the courtroom and “did not condone” what had occurred.
Social media
Last week, the plaintiff secured a temporary High Court order requiring the defendant to remove threatening and defamatory comments allegedly posted on social media by the defendant.
The judge also made orders under section 33 of the 2009 Defamation Act prohibiting reporting of the allegedly defamatory comments.
The judge, who noted gardaí were investigating the incident that took place outside the court, agreed to adjourn the case, with the orders remaining in place, to October.
The judge was told the defendant has removed comments complained of from social media that was under her control.
There were concerns about posts on platforms not under the defendant’s control but steps were being taken to address that issue, the court heard.
Last week, the court heard the plaintiff, currently residing in London due to ill health, was involved in property development and electricity distribution businesses, and was also involved in philanthropy.
Untruthful comments
She claims that, since May, the defendant, whom she said she did not know and had never met, had published numerous false, malicious, harmful, threatening and untruthful comments about her.
The comments relate to the plaintiff’s businesses, her philanthropy and personal reputation.
Other comments, it is claimed, include threats to kill Ms Uvbi Mku-Atu and expressing a wish for her death in unpleasant ways.
The court was told the comments were contained in videos posted on Facebook and YouTube and had reached a significant audience.